Practices of Resistance in Times of Crisis: Representation & Reality: Forging Bonds between Local Activism and Academia

This workshop aims to explore the dynamics of organized labour both from an artistic point of view and through theoretical-practical analysis. In recent years, in various places around the world, we have been witnessing a return of solidarity in the workplace. This workshop proposes a double reading. On the one hand, we will see how cinema has historically represented these great moments of workers’ solidarity. On the other hand, we will deepen the dialogue between academics and local workers’ organizers to understand how our community can contribute to this increasingly relevant discussion.

The film The Killing Floor (1984) will be screened. It highlights the plight of workers struggling to set up an interracial union in the meat industry in the years leading up to the Chicago race riot of 1919.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with Maxim Baru of the General Syndicate and Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey, a McGill professor specializing in the intersection of race and the labour movement in the United States.

The event will be held in English, with French subtitles and whispered translation available.